Arnold Schwarzenegger admits to “stepping over the line” with women in the past

Men’s Health(LOS ANGELES) — In a cover story for Men’s Health magazine’s 30th anniversary issue, Arnold Schwarzenegger admits “stepping over the line” with women in the past, and says he regrets calling his political opponents “girlie men.”

“Looking back, I stepped over the line several times, and I was the first one to say sorry,” he says. “I feel bad about it, and I apologize.”

In 2003, just before he became governor of California, Schwarzenegger was accused of groping several women in past incidents.

He tells the mag, “When I became governor, I wanted to make sure that no one, including me, ever makes this mistake. That’s why we took sexual harassment courses, to have a clear understanding, from a legal point of view and also from a regular-behavior point of view, of what is accepted and what is not.”

Schwarzenegger also admits that it probably wasn’t the best idea to use the phrase “girlie men” to describe his Democratic opponents while serving as governor, and Democratic politicians in general.

“At the time it felt like the right thing to do,” he says. “It was in my gut. I improvised it. I called them girlie men because they weren’t willing to take risks. They were afraid of everything. Politicians in general want to do little things so there’s no risk involved.”

He continues, “But it was shortsighted. In the long term, it’s better to not say that, because you want to work with them.”

By the way, Schwarzenegger borrowed the phrase “girlie men” from the recurring Saturday Night Live “Hans and Franz” sketch, in whichDana Carvey and Kevin Nealon played Arnold’s Austrian bodybuilder “cousins.”